The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1887-12-29
A8PITIFUL STORY
OF MANS SHOCKING INnuMAN1TY

And woman's Devotion ovon unto Death.
Tho Suspicious rcunstnnCess surround.
Ing tho Death Of Mrs. Coyne at Mar.
tins ForrJ-coyne under Arrest.
Mira. William Coyne. Of Martins Ferry,
the supposed victim Of poison at tho hands
OF her husband, died yenterday morning
at quarter past II o'clock, after terri.
bic ntrueglc for liio.. No persons but her
two littlo sons, aged II and 10 years re-.
Hpcctlvely, wero In the room at the time
Of their mother'a death. She will DO
buried to-day in West Alexander, Pa,
her former homo. s4
Coyne came to Martins Ferry about a
year Ggo with his wife and two children.
They wore apparently very poor people.
They have been living upstsirs at the cor.
ncr oil First and Fayetto streets, In an old
tumble-down sort OF house belonging to
Thomas FItslmmons, Coyne workingatany.
thing and every thing to earn nickel. His
neighhors gave him wide birth, and he
In return refused scquaintsnceahip with
all but those whom he could not possibly
avoid. "a 3g5
Coyne Ia reputed by hls wiIe'a relatives
to be worth $1,000 or $4,000 III cssh, but
rlncs he married, his wife and children
have known nothing but poverty and
Icruelty. His miserly qualities gained for
him hia money, dime and quarter, or
moro, at time being found or given him
| (for no seldom worked steadily, having
no trade), and the money he hid away,
IinBtead Of providing food and comfort for
his family. Ia5t y
| Little was known Of the family until
) about three weeks ago, when the woman
YVES taken LII with typhoid fever. Tho
husband refused to have a phyaician called
In, but allowed his wife to lie day after
day on hard fat bed with scarcely any
covering, and often without fire in the
! room. Last Friday The woman took sud-
denly worse, and showed symptoms OF
, poisoning. The case WAS kept very quiet,
only few Of the neiehbors knowing any.
thing about 1t. Dr.. Hinerman Was called
| and found The woman unconscious.
Alter using emetlcs he succeeded in
, sroubiDg the patient to n semi.conscious
state, in which she. has since lain, but
gradually sinking lower and lower. On
Tuegday evening Coyne came home and
, found tho physician in tho room attending
! the patient, and after basty meal packed
a carpet sack aud walked out OF the houes.
!, 1t is probable no had heard that the ply.
!, sician and neighbour had suspected him OF
giving his wife poison, which, in fact, was
the truth, but for unknown reasonu, while
the woman lived, it Vac not made known
! until about 5 o'clock Monday night.
An INTELLIGENcRR reporter visited the
house about two hou,a later, md after
having been shown through saloon to
D tho rear, acroes dark and unevonly
hoored porch, along q dingy, dark and i'll.
: smelling hallway, climbed an old and
! rickety flight OF etairp, and was shown into
/, the room where tho sick woman lay. The
3 first sight which met the reporters gaza
4 Was little lad OF probably ten years,
, robed in his night ehirt, and kneeling on
a chair by tho Preside, saying childish
!, prayer, the last words being heard by the
| reporter, "God bless mamma. Amen"
|, The child reiterated to corner on seeing
. q stranger enter the room, and the visitor
, entered into conversation with bis uncle,
Q who sat near him. The room Was scantiIy
= furnished, with bare floors and windows
which have been left unclaimed since the
woman's illness, and low bed in the cor.
4 ner, on which lay tho poor sufferer. A
; few chairs and stand with this bed com
a priced the furniture in tho room.
After a brief interview with the brother
. Of the afflicted woman, (Mr. John O'Con.
+ ner, 1t WAS learned that on Thursday last
: Mr.. CConuer and his brother James, hay.
ing been informed OF the sbuse and wan,
: suffered by their sister, CONS here from
Claysyille, Pa, whero both are well-tc-do
! farmers. The brother was losth to speak
y much On the subject, and during bis talk
y bis eyeB blszsd with vengeance, which he
swore to wreak on his worthless brother.
! in-law. could he but lay hands on him.
Their intention WAC to have their sister
!. removed to more comfortable quarters, or
p to the Wheeling hoepitable, and they had
Q been over TO arrange matters on Friday,
q when, in their sbsence, according to the
:. story OF the little con. Coyne pretended to
3 be very kind to his vito, iifted her out Of
: bed and gave her q drink, which he said
s was "toddy." She crank abont half OF it,
g and he threw the rest in the fire.. He then
lifted his wife roughly from her chair and
let her fall on the bed, and lef. the house.
From the fact that the man sC.ed
strangely and cruelty since his wiie's i'll.
!, ness, grew the suspicion that he tried to
dispose Of her, and beginning TO think be
wac suspected, be made good his escape
when the physician limited something Of
the kind on Tuesday night es
AB soon as the man left, the officers
were notified, but aearch until the esrly
hours Tuesday morning proved in vain.
Coyne, On leaving home Tuesday night,
went to Bridgeport and thence to tho Bal.
!, timose & Ohio tunnel, east OF .his city, to
see an acquaintance, and yesterday utter
, noon came back to the Ferry boat: on the
Went Virginia aide. Officers Williams and
Smith crossed the river sud, after much
:. psrleying, srcceeded in getting the man to
80 to tho other eide. He is now in the lock-
up, aud protests his innocence.
! Mayor Keller began to examine wit
neases iats last night, and after hearing
the testimony OF Eve, decided to bold
Coyne till this afternoon. 1t WAS develop
, ed that since living in Martins Ferry he
has allowed his family but one Loaf Of
broad n day. .-g
DR.. B. 0. Williama and DR.. Shuttle
worth made an autopsy, and removed the
! stomach, which will bs sent to a chemist
for anslysls. On Coyne'a poIaon was found
81 40 and little whito powder in paper.
! Mrs. Coyne IL said to be q graduate of
= Mt. de Chantal, and Catholic. Coyne
is q Protestant. They had been married
seventeen years.
, A Mysterious Pair Locked Up.
Last night after midnight two men, one
in his night clothes and both terribly cut
and beaten and covered with blood, came
to BinRell's drug store, in the Eighth ward,
snd wanted their wounds dressed. They
sald thoy had no money and DR.. Bingeil
refueed to serYethem, but upon one Of them